“Künstliche Erfahrungswelten” – How Digital Technology is mediating Human Experience

Experience is a vital element of human cognition; therefore, to learn something new, humans need new experiences. How can the use of artifacts1, such as instruments and technologies contribute to this objective? The idea of a direct experience of an object is not completely outdated. Still, it is becoming rare: communication is mediated by smartphones and apps, and instruments and computer simulations mediate scientific discoveries. Instead of visiting a museum, we can browse through its online collection. Hence, by designing the methodologies and technologies that mediate experience we are shaping the experience itself. The article introduces Charles S. Peirce’s concept of experience to discuss the structure of technological mediation of experience and the potential for artificial experience. It reflects on how digital technologies contribute to the development of new experiences to allow for new or deeper knowledge of our world.